Adjustable belt accessory system

ABSTRACT

An accessory coupler for a belt includes a main body having a pawl configured to transition between a locked position and an unlocked position and a coupling system positioned about the main body and configured to couple the main body to an accessory. The accessory coupler further includes wherein when the pawl is in the locked position, the main body is configured to be fixed along a length of a belt and when the pawl is in the unlocked position, the main body is configured to be moved along the length of the belt.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/281,897, filed on Nov. 22, 2021, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Conventional belt accessory holders tend to rely on pressure between a user's waist and the belt to keep the accessory in place. Many conventional accessory holders will have a portion that will loop over a belt and secure back onto the accessory to create a hole that the belt will fit through, wherein the hole acts as the only securing means for the accessory. Such configurations lead to undesirable results as user's must set their belts to be tight about their waists or accept that accessory's hung on their belts will have a general tendency to slide along the length of their belts. Thus, a need exits to attach accessories to a belt in a manner as to prevent the accessory from inadvertently sliding along the length of the belt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, there is provided an accessory coupler for a belt. The accessory coupler includes a main body having a pawl operable between a locked position and an unlocked position. The accessory coupler further includes a coupling system positioned about the main body and configured to couple the main body to an accessory base member that supports or otherwise includes an accessory for support on the belt. In operation, when the pawl is in the locked position, the main body is securely fastened to the belt to prevent movement along a length of a belt and when the pawl is in the unlocked position, the main body is movable along the length of the belt.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a belt accessory coupling system. The system includes a belt having a length and a coupling portion disposed along at least a portion of a surface of the belt. An accessory coupler positioned about and movable along the coupling portion of the belt. The accessory coupler includes a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position. The system further includes an accessory base member positioned about an opposed surface of the belt from the accessory coupler and coupled to the accessory coupler such that when the latch is in the locked position, the latch engages with the coupling portion to prevent movement of the accessory base member relative to the belt, and when the latch is in the unlocked position, the latch does not engage with the coupling portion enabling the accessory base member to move relative to the belt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will become more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of an adjustable belt accessory coupling system in a locked state.

FIG. 2 illustrates a user-side plan view of the system of FIG. 1 in the unlocked state.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side plan view of the system of FIGS. 1 and 2 in the unlocked state.

FIG. 4 illustrates a user-side plan view of the system 100 in the locked state.

FIG. 4A illustrates a section view of the system 100 taken along the line 4A-4A in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 5 illustrates a side plan view of the system 100 in the locked state.

The drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a belt accessory coupling system 100 that includes a belt 105 that may be worn around a user's waist, including for example, with a pair of pants, shorts, trousers, skirts or any other article of clothing. The belt accessory coupling system 100 includes an accessory coupler 102 that, as explained in greater detail below, is movably coupled to the belt 105 for supporting an accessory device (e.g., a holster, etc.) thereon. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the belt 105 includes a coupling portion/latching surface 110 formed having a series of teeth 115. Each tooth 115 is configured to engage a latch or pawl 108 that extends from the accessory coupler 102, as shown for example, in FIG. 3 . According to some embodiments, the latching surface 110 extends along the entire length of the belt 105. In other embodiments, the latching surface 110 extends only along a portion of the length of the belt 105. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the latching surface 110, by being formed as part of the belt 105, substantially increases the stiffness of the belt 105 along the areas where the teeth 115 are located. The increased stiffness reduces or otherwise minimizes the bending or deflection of the belt 105 when the user attaches an accessory base member 200 in order to, as explained in greater detail below, secure the accessory to the belt 105 via the accessory coupler 102.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 , the accessory coupler 102 is formed having a main body 250 that includes a coupling system formed having one or more accessory mounting points 101 for securing the accessory base member 200 thereto. The accessory coupler 102 further includes an actuator 106 that is accessible through lock openings 109 a and 109 b, the actuator 106 being movable relative to the main body 250 so as to, as explained in greater detail below, lock the accessory coupler 102, and thus the accessory base member 200, relative to the belt 105. With continued reference to FIGS. 1-3 , the main body 250 of the accessory coupler 102 includes a top extended section 112 and a bottom extended section 113, each extending and/or otherwise cantilevering from the main body 250 forming a gap or receiving area 252 to receive at least a portion of the belt 105 therebetween. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 , the at least one accessory mounting point 101 is positioned on each extended section 112 and 113; however, it should be understood that the accessory mounting points 101 may be otherwise positioned and may include a greater or lesser number of mounting points 101.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 , the accessory mounting points 101 are illustrated as through holes configured to accept a screw, bolt, or any other suitable fastener to couple the accessory base member 200 via the accessory mounting points 101 to the accessory coupler 102. It should be understood that mounting points 101 may be otherwise configured. For example and not by way of limitation, in some embodiments, the mounting points 101 may include magnets for magnetically and removably coupling to the accessory base member 200. In other embodiments, hook and loop fasteners can be used for coupling to the accessory base member 200. In still other embodiments, the mounting points may be any other frictional type of engagement including, for example, using buttons, snaps or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 by way of example, when the accessory base member 200 is coupled to the accessory coupler 102 via the accessory mounting points 101, a gap/cavity 254 is formed between the accessory base member 200 and the accessory coupler 102. The gap 254 is sized to receive the belt 105 therein and facilitate sliding movement of the accessory coupler 102 relative to the belt 102. In use, a user couples the accessory base member 200 to the accessory coupler 102 via the accessory mounting points 101 (via screws or other fasteners) and then inserts the belt 105 through the cavity formed between the extended sections 112 and 113, the accessory coupler 102 and the accessory base member 200. According to embodiments disclosed herein, the accessory base member 200 can support or otherwise be formed integral with any number of articles to be secured to a user's belt. For example, the accessory base member 200 can support or otherwise include a holster for a firearm or taser, a pouch, a bag, a walkie-talkie, mobile phone holder, or any other accessory that a user may desire to attach or couple to the belt 105.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 , the actuator 106 includes a lock member 107 extending in a direction away from the belt 105 and a pawl 108 (FIGS. 2 and 3 ) extending in a direction toward the belt 105 and opposite the lock member 107 so as to engage the teeth 115 of the belt 105. The lock member 107 and pawl 108 are joined together as a single unit (i.e., integrally molded or otherwise) and movable relative to the main body 250. In use, movement and/or actuation of the lock member 107 in a direction toward the belt 105 removes the lock member 107 from the opening 109 b. Once removed from the opening 109 b, the actuator 106 is movable in the direction of arrow 111 a to position the pawl 108 from a locked position, whereby the accessory coupler 102 (and the accessory base member 200) are securely fastened to the belt 105 to prevent relative movement therebetween, and an unlocked position, whereby the accessory coupler 102 (and the accessory base member 200) are freely movable relative to the belt 105. In particular, when the accessory coupler is in the locked position, the pawl 108 is disposed between and otherwise engaging the teeth 115 of the belt 105. When in the unlocked position, the pawl 108 is separated from and no longer disposed between and engaging the teeth 115.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 4 and 4A, further details of the actuator 106 are illustrated. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 4A, To transition the accessory coupler 102 from the locked state to the unlocked state, the user must first press the lock 107 in the direction of arrow 260 towards the belt side 104 such that the lock 107 is removed from the opening 109B. The actuator 106, via the grip portion 262, can then be moved in the direction of arrow 111 a, which causes the pawl 108 to similarly move in the direction of arrow 111 a and disengage from and otherwise be no longer positioned between the teeth 115. Once the pawl 108 has been disengaged from the teeth 115, the accessory coupler 102 can be repositioned along the length of the belt 105. It should be understood that while the actuator 106 and the pawl 108 are depicted as moving along the same direction, alternate configurations may be used. For example, in some embodiments moving the actuator 106 in the direction of arrow 111 a causes the pawl 108 to move in the opposite direction, or vice versa.

With continued reference to FIG. 4A, the lock 107 contains a sloped surface 266 to slidably engage the upper wall 268 of the opening 109A so as to deflect the lock 107 in the direction of arrow 260 to enable the actuator 106 to travel in the direction of arrow 111 b for eventual re-insertion into opening 109 b when it is desired to return to the locked position. As previously stated, when the accessory coupler 102 is in the locked state, the pawl 108 is positioned such that it engages with the teeth 115 and prevents the accessory coupler 102 from sliding along the length of the belt 105. The pawl 108 and the teeth 115 have relative shapes such that, when the accessory coupler 102 is in the locked state, the relative shapes engage one another and prevent the accessory coupler 102 from moving along the length of the belt 105.

According to some embodiments, the belt 105 is be attached to a belt buckle, which can be a conventional buckle that has a pin that inserts into a hole in the belt 105 to fix the buckle and belt 105 in a looped state. In other embodiments, the belt 105 is attached to a pinless buckle that is configured to engage with the series of teeth 115 to fix the pinless buckle and belt 105 in a looped state, such as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/151,360 filed Jan. 18, 2021 and entitled “Belt Buckle System”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Although embodiments of a belt accessory coupling system 100, apparatus, and method of use have been described in detail, those skilled in the art will also recognize that various substitutions and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as “left” and right”, “front” and “rear”, “above” and “below” and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

In this specification, the word “comprising” is to be understood in its “open” sense, that is, in the sense of “including”, and thus not limited to its “closed” sense, that is the sense of “consisting only of”. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words “comprise”, “comprised” and “comprises” where they appear.

In addition, the foregoing describes some embodiments of the disclosure, and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

Furthermore, the disclosure is not to be limited to the illustrated implementations, but to the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An accessory coupler for a belt, the accessory coupler comprising: a main body having a pawl operable between a locked position and an unlocked position; a coupling system positioned about the main body and configured to couple the main body to an accessory base member; and wherein when the pawl is in the locked position, the main body is securely fastened to the belt to prevent movement along a length of a belt and when the pawl is in the unlocked position, the main body is movable along the length of the belt.
 2. The accessory coupler of claim 1, wherein the coupling system is configured to couple the main body to an accessory base member in a manner such that a gap is formed between the main body and the accessory base member.
 3. The accessory coupler of claim 2, wherein the gap is sized to receive a belt therethrough.
 4. The accessory coupler of claim 1, further comprising a release actuator coupled to the pawl.
 5. The accessory coupler of claim 4, wherein the release actuator is configured to secure the pawl in a locked position until the release actuator is actuated.
 6. The accessory coupler of claim 1, further comprising an accessory base member coupled to the coupling system.
 7. The accessory coupler of claim 6, further comprising a belt received between the accessory base member and the main body.
 8. A belt accessory coupling system, the system comprising: a belt having a length and a coupling portion disposed along at least a portion of a surface of the belt; an accessory coupler positioned about the coupling portion of the belt, the accessory coupler including a latch movable between an unlocked position and a locked position; an accessory base member positioned about an opposed surface of the belt from the accessory coupler and coupled to the accessory coupler; and wherein when the latch is in the locked position, the latch engages with the coupling portion, and when the latch is in the unlocked position, the latch does not engage with the coupling portion.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein when the latch is in the unlocked position, the accessory coupler is free to move along the length of the belt and when the latch is in the locked position, the accessory coupler is prevented from moving along the length of the belt.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the accessory coupler includes a release actuator coupled to the latch that is configured to secure the latch in the locked position until the release actuator is actuated.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the accessory coupler further includes a coupling system and the accessory is coupled to the coupling system.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the coupling system is a through hole configured to receive a fastener.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the coupling portion is a series of teeth.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the accessory base member includes a holster. 